Halfords/Boardman Bikes - How Good Are They?

[skudupnorth]

Ooooh - interested to see how you get on with this... might be an option for next year's C2W scheme... been thinking about a fixie for a while.


@ Obelix1664 - the cranks are made by SRAM, it's not Halfords fault it was defective, however their aftersales (and before sales for that matter) can be very hit and miss. You can only get Boardman bikes from Halfords and BikeHut (owned by Halfords).

This is my c2w scheme choice,cannot wait !

 

[Crankarm]

A few people have questioned Boardman's decision to distribute exclusively through Halfords rather than 'proper' bike shops... it's bound to come down to cost though - the buying power of Halfords compared to sole-traders means transport costs, volumes etc are all in their favour. Ergo, they end up will a quality full carbon road bike for £1k that no-one else can compete with.

If I were Boardman Bikes I would be continually monitoring the after sales support (sic) of their distributor - maybe they are...

Chris Boardman does. Last year he kindly posted a full and frank explanation of his tie-up with Halfords on BikeRader in response to criticism in a thread. I have every respect for him. Unfortunately his vision sometimes doesn't seem to make it down to Halfords grass roots level. He does try though.

At my local Halfords I recently enquired how much it would cost to buy just the top Team carbon road frame - £850 without fork!!! The Halfords guy to his credit spent ages on the computer system trying to find a price.

I'm not keen on Truavit or Ritchey components as 1) they weigh a tonne and 2) break. Would fit my own components and wheels to the frame but not at £850 without forks.

 

[battered]

@ Obelix1664 - the cranks are made by SRAM, it's not Halfords fault it was defective,

It's not their *fault* but it's their problem under the Sale and Provision of Goods and Services Act in the UK. (Was Sale of Goods).

Your contract is with Halfords, not SRAM. If it's defective it's up to Halfords to fix it, replace or refund. They will in turn have a counterclaim against SRAM under the same act, so it goes on. But it is *their* problem.

 

[shrew]

I had a boardman comp i loved it, the bike was a joy to ride, very light and fast as hell, BUT.. i wouldnt trust halfords to set it up, take it somewhere else to give it the once over and DONT take it back for the free service!

 

[bauldbairn]

I've got a Boardman Pro flatbar(Hybrid) and love it.

Just buy the bike on line and set it up yourself, all the halfords staff do are add the seatposts, straighten the handlebars and put the pedals on - the rest of the stuff is done in the factory.

 

[theboytaylor]

upgraded to the Boardman Team Carbon Ltd this year... one of the few bikes to get 10/10 in Cycling Plus mag... you need to spend several hundred £ more to get the same spec from Specialized / Cannondale / Wilier etc.

I love mine - light, stiff, double-tap SRAM is a dream to use.

The Ltd edition ones are all sold out now, but the same bike is available in black for £999.

For a grand you can't beat it. Take it to a reputable LBS to get it set up / checked over though.

Has just gone up to £1200 !. Just as I was about to take the plunge.

Stangely I think the prices of the other bikes are unaffected.....

 

[ramses]

Has just gone up to £1200 !. Just as I was about to take the plunge.

Stangely I think the prices of the other bikes are unaffected.....

Can you wait until Le Tour De France has finished. May be a marketing ploy with all the advertising that goes on with ITV4 to see if people get the bug and come in to buy the bike.

Might go back down in a few weeks.

 

[shaunb]

i recentlyordered my team carbon through the bike2work scheme ,local store have got non in stock and have been told to honour the £999.99.price for people who already have a letter of collection.anticipated collection date 26th of July..
Guy on the phone said they have been selling well due to excellent revues .
I imagine that the price will come down later in the summer,if they are planning on releasing a 2011 model

 

[jimboalee]

Can you wait until Le Tour De France has finished. May be a marketing ploy with all the advertising that goes on with ITV4 to see if people get the bug and come in to buy the bike.

Might go back down in a few weeks.

Does the price of tennis racquets increase by 20% during Wimbledon, only to drop down again afterwards?

If it does, its a racquet.

 

[karan733]

I think Halfords are noted for increasing the price for a few weeks, only to sell it at the original price in a 25% off sale. I wouldnt worry too much if I was parting with the cash myself, it'll be down to the original price soon enough.

 

[cyberknight]

I have a carrera subway 1 and a virtuosso and for the price they are great bikes .
The subway is fairly bomb proof and used as my winter hack/back up and the roady is a nicely specced machine for the price.

I would not hesitate the recommend any of the carrera /boardman bikes to anyone , bike radar agree.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/virtuoso-09-34691

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/road/product/comp-08-22946

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/road/product/subway-1-8831

 

[ramses]

Does the price of tennis racquets increase by 20% during Wimbledon, only to drop down again afterwards?

If it does, its a racquet.

I only said maybe!

 

[amnesia]

Has just gone up to £1200 !. Just as I was about to take the plunge.

Stangely I think the prices of the other bikes are unaffected.....

Cheeky sods...

Anyone want to buy a Ltd for £1500 ?*












* joke - I am not selling this... infact I am going to find it difficult to get anything better with next year's C2W £1k

 

[bauldbairn]

Has just gone up to £1200 !. Just as I was about to take the plunge.

Stangely I think the prices of the other bikes are unaffected.....

Very strange to just stick £200 on a bike without reason?

The Team Carbon is still advertised for £1000 on the Boardman site - but probably £1200 when you transfer to Halfords to buy it?

There's been a few subtle changes to other bikes specs - to keep prices down I suppose. The Pro Hybrid now has a "double butted" frame(same as Comp/Team) instead of "super butted" I got.

 

[vernon]

While this might be a one off, if you were going to buy a Boardman, get it from the LBS.

Halfords is the only stockist of Boardman bikes.